Method of manufacturing silicates with base exchanging properties, or so-called artificial zeolites



Patented July 18, 1933 UNIT- D srArss;

nnnnns RUTGER w'IBERs Ann Pea MAGNETS" E AR Scampi; HALsINGBonG;

' SWEDEN, .ASS IGNORS TO REYMERSHOLMS sAMLA IN'DUsTBI Ax r'innotaq, A'J'OINT'I s'roox COMPANY,OEI-IALSINGIBORG, SWEDEN i j METHOD or MANnFAcTURmG sI IcATns was; BASE nxcnaneme PROPERTIES, es SO-CALLE'DABTiFIGIALZEOLIfI'ES? I No Drawing, Application-filed June aieaa'ser ei N o;368,7 32, and mls waen June 6,1928] I Iron-aluminiumsilicates of difierent kinds met with in naturep such as kaolin, bauxite and other more or less refractory clays are altogether deficientin-or only in a small de gree in possession ot the base exchanging properties characteristic of other silicates met with in nature, such as zeolites and similar silicates. I

The present invention refers to a method of manufacturing ,so-called artificial zeolites out of natural silicates, such as kaolin, bauxite and other similariron-aluminium silicates;

and more or less refractoryclays "by treat ing the same with acidsand/or acid alkali salts, so that the silicate is decomposed,

' whereupon the residue remaining upon filtration, the so call'edwaste clay, consisting sub-p stantially of silicicjacidzand ironand alu" 'min'ium oxidesbinsoluble in acid, is-boiled 20 under pressure 'withthe oxides, hydroxides or carbonates of the alkalimetals and/0120f the alkalineearth metals or in a mixture. V a v If a silicate of theabove-mentioned type, after suitable preparation is treated with a .mineral acid, suchas sulphuric acid, hydro s chloric acid, or nitric acid, as 1s previously known for instance from the manufacture of aluminium salts therefrom in an open vessel or under pressure, the original silicate isfde-r composed, a solution of the aluminium salt 7 corresponding'to the acid employed being then obtained"upon'filtration, thesaid aluminium salt being contaminated with/greater or smaller quantlties of corresponding iron salts (ferrous or ferric "compoundsl accord- Vingto the nature of the clay employed; in, addition to the said solution a residue c0n-' sisting of silicic acid-and oxides of aluminium and iron insoluble-in acids is also obtained. For the digestion stated, it is also possible in known manner, and with aboutthe same re 7 sults, to make use of the acid alkali salts of the corresponding acids either alone "Orif The above men-' tioned residue (hereinafter termed waste desired together with acids,

clay) has no moreireal base exchanging properties thanthe original clay see Chemiker-Zeitung No. 28," page 355, of the year 1907), besides which the waste clay is hardly either each per se,

suitable as apfilteringfmaterial its i mucous. SW y a d; its 1 impermeable 1 P PQrUes toward liquids in consequence thereof. 1, i v v l However, if this waste claygwhich' is under pressure, a 'silicate is obtained-of a p0- rous, pumiceousstructure having strong base exchanging properties, and ,Wl-llChoSlllCELte is at the] same time very permeable 7 toward liquids, by reasonv of its'pronounced porosity,

and consequently very suitable as a filtering artificial zeolitelhaving a base exchanging power exceeding considerably what. has been obtained hitherto "in artificial zeolites or'perv mutites manufactured mother-ways;-

Moreover, by boiling the waste *clayin manner above indicated with oxides, hydroxides or carbonates of the alkali metals and/or v of the alkaline earth metals hydration of the silicate is obtained directly, which hydr'ation isxa condition'for the base exchang ing prop'erties thereoif' An emb describe'dfmore-i'fullyr-inthe following, but

foundthat the silicate thus 7 diment of" the statement be 7 i .::i

it"should be observed that. the example'xset forth isnot the only one accordingto which the invention 'mayjbegcarried into-effect, it i being possible to modify the methods in various ways, without departing from the spirit oi the scope ofthe'claimsi- "A clay composedras follows, fo linstance :1" JAI O 32%, FegO; 3%, SiO 5%,loss eniggnition 20%, is roasted atra suitable temperatureof about 700,degreescentigrade, where, "1

uponthe composition. of the.-'cl ay w'ill be" about as follows: A1 0 41%, 'FeOZOg 3.5%.,

SiO 54%, lesson ignition.2%:w Upon fine-' grinding this roasted clay is'treated with;

certainquantity of sulphuric acid, for; in? stance 135 kilograms of sulphuric acid of a f specificflgravityof 1'.53,diluted byasuitable j quantity oitiwater per lOOfkilograms ofroastv 9 1,

v 0b. worthless in, itself, a is treated with oxides, 7 hydroxides orQcarbonatesof alkali metals and/or alkaline earth metals; boiling" 7 ed clay, either in an open Vessel or under press sure; After the decomposing process has been completed, the aluminium sulphate so- .lution is filtered off, for instance-in a filter press, and the waste clayobtained is washed out; This waste clay is then of about the'following composition: dry test, A1 14%,

Ije O 1.50 SiOg 75%, loss on ignition 10%.:

- The waste 'isiithen mixedwith a calculated quantity ofli'me-water or with a corresponding quantity of lime-water and alkali ness and a'yery strongbase exchanging power. -As set forth hereinbefore, theneces'sary, hydration of the silicate, which is *often' difit. cult to effectin other previously known meth-i metal oxide, alkali metal hydroxide or alkali metal carbonate,-whereupon the mixture is boiled under a pressure or. 8-12 atmosphei'es, for example. During the boiling, the

lime or the lime and the alkalicmetal respec tix ely combine with the waste clay while forming a, very porous, pumiceous calcium (calcium-alkali metal) aluminlum hydro-silicate highly permeable toward liquids and having a comparatively highdegree of hardods of mani'ifactluring Ze'olite, also takes place during the boiling, wh ch circumstance -1nvolves a considerable technical improve-- i'nenti The artificial pieces of a suitable size,and is washed, for instance with a solution of sodium chloride, until it is free from lime; and is thenr'eady to' absorb-,ifor instance, lime and so forth out ofwaterlr According to that an artificialzeol-ite produced in the man-- ner'hereinbefore setforth has a base exchang ing ability'0f2500-3000 milligrams CaO per 100 gramsjof artificial zeolite, whereas by other. methods :as hltherto practised for the manufacture of artificial'zeolites a maximum -'of mass.

output of 1500-2000 milligrams CaO per 1 00 grams of zeolitehals been 'obta ine'd and with natural zeolites and natrolites an output of only-2004500 milligrams CaO- per-100 grams The same result is also, attained by" boiling he 'wasteclay with caustic soda; soda ash or other-alkali. It has been found; however,

' that the presence of lime infthe boiling processaids in a particularlyhigh degree inthe formation of a porousmaterial of suitable hardness. r

-Art1i1c1al' 260111383 with base exchanging f'properties :are also obtained by fusing "or V sinteringthe waste clay with oxides, hydroxw a I ides and carbonatesof the "alkali metals 'a-nd /or of thealkaline' earth metals and by subsequent hydration of the mass thus treated; 1 s I Qb iously, it i'spossible by this method to produce I compounds with base fexchanging propertiesibyitreating clays, which are not zeolite obtained inth'e 'man- V ner hereinbefore described is broken up into trials 'mad'e it has been found suitable for themanufacture of'aluminium salts, in a similar manner.

, The main object of the treatment with acid will be the same,'i. e. to decompose theorigi-I nal silicates by the digestion with acid,

acid, the introduction of the oxides and the hydroxides of the allcali'meta'ls and/ or of the alkaline earth metals'i'n the residue of the to facilitate,by dissolving the oxides, for instance of, iron andflalummium, by means of original acid-treated silicate, consisting sub" stantially of silica and of oxides of iron and aluminium insoluble in acids. g Zeolites produced 111 1116 manner hereinbefore'described are by reason of their pronounced base exchanging'abilityand by son of their porosity Very suitableforall .90 alkaliand 'allralin'ee tained in'the manufacture of aluminium salts 1 by decomposition of a sub'stan'ceofthe "group consisting of natural aluminium silicates;

bauxite andrefractory clays by meanfs'cf strong acidic compound, iszboiledunder pressure in an a'qu'eousimxture containing at least one basic oxygen compound alkali-forming metal. y 7 I 2. Method of n'lanufactur ng o'ificial zeol tes, characterlzed Bin that waste clay ob-' tained in the manufacture of aluminium salts by decomposition-of a substance of the group consisting, of naturalEaluminum silicates,

bauxite and'refractoryuclaysbymean *of at strong mineral acid, is boiled'under in an aqueous mixture containing lime and 1 the 'zeolite so produced istsubsequently washed w'lthan alkall metalsaltuntii t"is free from lime.

3 Method of" manufacturing"partificial zeolites, characterized in that waste .clay'obtainedin the manufacture of aluminium salts by decomposition of a'substance' of the grou,

consistingof natural aluminium silicates,

bauxite and refractory clays byein'eans of a strong mineral acid, is boiled underpres sure'in an aqueous mixture containing lm and atleast one more basic oxygencompoi of an alkali-forming metal-and the zeolitc produced is 1 subsequently -washed with an alkalimetal'salt until it is free fromlime,

aunnns RUTGER wieER I- PER MAGNUS E YABD $C Q -"i 

